Hypothyroidism and leothyroxine do not have a substantial impact on calcium. I see no reason for taking calcium tablets unless you have been specifically advised by your doctor, and if so there will have been a reason. Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem in teh UK, which is unrelated to the thy...

The FT4 level can be helpful, but depends on the context. In the overwhelming majority of cases the FT4 is predictably normal if the serum TSH is in the normal range. So the serum TSH is a very good screening test. In some rare cases it will miss hypothyroidism (for instance when the problem lies in...

I am sad to hear that you feel the NHS has let you down. I take that to mean that you have been let down by 1 or 2 doctors, but I sincerely hope that the NHS will look after you if the need arises. I cannot make judgements on the basis of your posting. I don't agree with self-medication because it c...

I tend to agree with you and I occasionally find myself in a frustrating situation when I have requested a FT3 via a GP and it has not been done. I am fortunate that in the hospital where I work we have an excellent relationship with the lab and that is never an issue. To be fair though, there are o...

Firstly, your case is rather different to many of the other postings that have been placed on the forum on the topic of T3/T4. You describe intolerance to levothyroxine alone, though interestingly you seem to tolerate it better presumably in a lower dose with T3. I think the way that you and your do...

I am not sure why you had a TRH tests and what question was it meant to answer? It used to be used fairly regularly by endocrinologists 20 years ago or so, as the other thyroid blood tests at the time, particularly TSH were not as sensitive as they are today. It was difficult for instance to disting...

Diagnosing s thyroid problem is not difficult. The diagnosis needs to be made or confirmed by a qualified doctor. The diagnosis is based on: 1. detailed history of symptoms, family history, medication etc 2. clinical examination 3. Biochemical tests and if indicated additional tests such as antibody...

I am not sure where your information comes from. There have been a numbers of trails comparing T4 versus T3+T4 in hypothyroidism and no differences were found in BP. Untreated hypothyroidism is associated with high blood pressure and a decline in kidney function. These effects reverse with thyroid h...

It is not easy to make a diagnosis based on your symptoms alone. The risk of thyroid eye disease in someone with Hashimoto's thyroiditis is very small. If you have no other symptoms such as staring eyes or double vision or swelling of your lids, it is highly unlikely that you have thyroid eye diseas...

Janet, see below in capitals: Post thyroid surgery hypoparathyroidism long term follow ups - What tests should be done and how frequent should they be? SERUM CALCIUM IS THE IMPORTANT TEST. MOST PEOPLE WHO DEVELOP HYPOPARA AFTER THYROID/PARATHYROID SURGERY RECOVER AFTER A WHILE, SO IT IS ALWAYS APPRO...